Book Review: The Far Side of the Loch

The Far Side of the Loch

written by Melissa Wiley

256 pages, children's fiction
published in 2000

The Far Side of the Loch is the second in a series about Martha Morse, great-grandmother to Laura Ingalls Wilder. This series tells Martha's childhood story, in much the same way that Laura's childhood is vividly chronicled in the popular Little House books.

Martha is a Scottish lass, through and through. She loves her family's Stone House and the sweet country life found in Glencaraid. Martha is the laird's daughter, and uses the entire valley village for her playground. Across the loch someone special is moving in, to a house long abandoned. What joys and triumphs (and perhaps near-disasters) that this news brings to the Morse family.

My favorite parts of the story had to do with the new critter in Martha's life. As she calls it, a hedger! They are so cute, and actually helpful around the house. After reading about Martha's experience with a hedgehog, I'd love one for my own self.

With a wild imagination, the young character of Martha brings the story to life. She has a few so-crazy-it-just-might-work schemes. (It may or may not have actually worked.) -- But she's a fun girl to read about.

Recommended for young readers, or for a family read-aloud.

Book Review: Sally's Movie Diary

Sally's Movie Diary

written by Catherine Harriott

112 pages, children's fiction
published in 2014

"Sally's Movie Diary" is the brand new companion book to Catherine Harriott's "Missing in Time" (see my review).

Summary: In "Missing in Time", Sally Soforth happened to fall backwards in time, to 1912. While she was trapped as a housemaid over a century ago, she made a new friend -- a boy named Adrian Merryweather. They got along well, although, due to their time difference, Adrian couldn't always comprehend Sally's comments about the films she enjoyed so much.

In this new book, Sally pens down her thoughts on movies, since she wants Adrian to learn more about the fantastic world of cinematography. Reviewing some of her own favorites, Sally covers quite a variety, from black-and-white classics to modern-made movies (the perfect kind of selection for my taste). I'm not saying that I would watch all of the movies included, but it was fun to read about them in a diary/story format.

Within each chapter, you're not just reading a girl's point-of-view about movies, but you're learning interesting tidbits and behind-the-scenes facts (things that will make you look cool when you tell other people about the movie!). Some of my favorite diary entries were about "The Wizard of Oz", "Mary Poppins", and "Up". I became interested in other films Sally talked about like "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" and "The Secret of Roan Inish". I'm sure you'll find some "new" movies to interest you when reading the diary.

Overall, this is a great book, and makes for a fun read -- especially if you're interested in getting the scoop on the magic of the cinema.

So happy to have been a beta reader for this book!

Sally's Movie Diary is now available on Amazon.com as an e-book, which can be read on a Kindle, computer, iPad, etc. *Currently available for FREE!

Sharing Our Bookshelves {February 2014}

"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past,
but by the responsibility for our future."
—George Bernard Shaw

It's time for the February book link-up!
Let's share our book reviews, thoughts from January reading, etc...

A recap of my favorites from the last month of books:


The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
{my review}


Akin to Anne by L.M. Montgomery
{my review}


Sally's Movie Diary by Catherine Harriott
{review coming soon!}


The Sinking of the MV Le JOOLA by Pat Wiley
{my review}


The linky is open all month long!
Do you have any bookish posts on your blog?


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